Unit-control system for electric circuits



Nov. 30 1926.4 1,608,734

, I s A. H. GREBE UNIT CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS Filed May l5, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet l i w f H 2@ a 3 A. C' 5 c C "jk KKKK u 3 3 'i' wie o f wir MRW f lrw .FR

Nov. 3o, 1926. f 1,608,734-

A. H. GREBE UNIT CONTROL SYSTM FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS Filed May 13, 1925 3 sheets-sheet 2 Nov. 30,1926. 1,608,734

A. H. GREBE UNI-T CONTROL SYSTEM FOR lEI |EC'.IRIC CIRCUITS intens;

Parser orales.

ALFRED HENRY GREBE, 0F HOLLIS, NEWKYRK.

NlTLCONTRL EYSTEM FOR IELCTRXG CIRCUITS j Applieation filed May 13, i925. Serial lo. M1033.

My invention relates partieularlyto a systein ot' unit control-for simultaneuslyiadjusting the' vzuiable members oli' a plurality of cireuit elements. f t lroadly considered, such systems are Well known in the art but their use has not .be-

the various circuits ot' a series olo'no'ton dinar-ily respond alike to 'the-"saine adjust-' t0 ment of their timing elements and, inorder to bring them to`resonanoeindividual ad! justment ot'- the several circuits usually required. y l 'As taras 1s lmovvn, the prlor'art un Ni control systems consisted of means sonnent ing the variable members of the tuning eley ments ot av series ot Circuits, eitherpermanently or at Will, by means ot a suitable control and,in the latter case, the members 2U- had to be either all connected for simultaneous adjustment or all disconnected for individual adjustment, no variation or nexii bility being permitted.'

The main object of the present invention is to render the control system flexiblethat is to say, .to provide control, bymeans of Which tvvo or more or all ol the tuning elements et' a series of circuits may be con- 3 nected at will, tor simultaneous adjustment;

whichv will permit limited individual adjustment oil anyone of the elements and finally, to "make it possible to readily and conveniently release all ot the elements lor unlimited individual adjustment or connect same, as various, changes may bemade- 'therein or other terms employed "Without departing from the -spirit and scope ot the present invention.

lin the drawings- Fig. l, is a vierv infront elevation ol a' y well-known type oll'radio receiving set, to

which my invention is shown applied;

y ltig. 2, is a plan .vienr thereol', With ,a portion of the hinged top cover ot the cabinet broken away; Fig. 3, is an enlarged view ot the main further, to sooonneot the elements as tok create lost motion of predetermined value,`

dials o l'thel tuningl velements of `the resolv-- ing set, showing optional'couplingn tor givfi'ng; unit-eontrol,` ot tno ormore ot the elements; I

Fig. Llpis a sectional vien, unan enlarged jscale, of a detail ol" the coupling, and..

lrligf, is a view in elevation, partly in *yseotiomtalien on the lines, e5, ot lTig. Ll. come general, owing' mainly to the faut that use 'knov'vn as the s nehro hase receiver which employs threevariable condensersl, Qnnd 3,' as the tuning elements.

vAs the construction, operation and adjust Lmentot these oondensers is vvell known in the art, it will not be necessary to describe them in detail. They are provided, in the usual manner, with sealed dials P52 and 3u, fast on the shafted?, 2b and 3b ol the rotor members and by 4meansoli which such members may be adjusted ,by manipulatingthe dials, vvhieh project through slot-lilre openings in the front panel nl the cabinet.

In this particular receiver, the relative arrangement ot the three tuning eondensers lends itself very conveniently to the application of my improved unit control sys` till 'lll

tem, which consists, in the present embodiment ot the invention, ot a chain and pulley eonneetionbetween the condensers, tor transF mittingniotion imparted to any one ot the three, to the other tvvo, so that they motie simultaneously'andl to the same entent, ex- @opting an intentional provision in the oonnection for lostV motion ot' predetermined value, the purpose ot' which will be later on explained. l

dll

ills shown, the condenser l, has mounted on an extension et its shaft lb, a grooved "pulley l, which, by means of aV trietion Clutch, shown in the `torni ot a butterfly nut l, threaded on the endet the condenser shalt.` may be clamped to turn with the shalt or runas anidler. j lllast on the shalt-ol the condenser f2, there isa .double groove pulley Q, which is conneeted vvith the pulley olf condenser l, by an endless chain Ll. Y

"lhe lull range et adjustment ot the condensers requires only a halt turn oi the shafts, and this permits the chain l to be secured to the pulleys 10,2, at points l, 2, Vthe etlect ot which is to avoid vvastetul loss in transmission ot motion trom one condenser to another..

fl. connection similar to that above described, is provided beta/een the eondensers lllll this slight clilerencein the dial settings, `by

2 and 3, by means of the, chain 5, pulley 3cand miti-3, the chain beingfsecuredtoth'e pulleys'at points 2F and d". x

y In the operation ofthis par adjustment of the moveablemembers of the several tuning condensers is foundto be, subi-- stantially'the same'Y tor any wave lengthgthat.' s to say, ordinarily, there is not morefthan two lor three scale divisions difference ori-the dials, so' that it is practicable, in connecting the three tuning vcondensers .of thisjreceiver for simultaneous adjustment, to-pro'videfor creating lost motion, of predeterminedvalue,

in the chain connect-ions between the dails, which will permit limited individual adjust-l ment of any one of the condenser-stov the extent re uired.V -V v A simp e and elfectivevway of providing the required lost motion is to employ chain belts of definite over-size and in taking up the resulting slack, anyone of the dials may be rotatedl in either direction, ay distance equal to three or four dial scale 'divisions, before motion from the dial being ro- I tated, will be transmitted to the other dials.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that when all of the tuningv condensers are to be operated by unit control, it is only necessaryl to tighten the two butterfly nuts ld, 3dand, using any one of the dials as a driver, motion given it will be transmitted simultaneously, and in the same direction, to the other condenser dials of the series. lf,l on the other hand, it is desired to render the unit `control system wholly ineffective, to permit unlimited individual adjustment of each fof the condenser dials, Athis is accomplished by loosening the nuts ld, 3d.

If, as frequently happens, the operator prefers to put the condensers- 2 and 3 under unit control and leave the condenser l, free for unlimited adjustment, it is only necessary to'loosen the nut 1d and tighten the nut 3d. Thus arranged, the' operator will also have the additional advantage'of limited individual adjustment of either of the `condensers 2 and 3, through the lost motion provided in the chain belt. l

It will be understood that the invention may be applied to-control variable inductances and othcrelectrical elements, as well as .condensers,l which are here shown, as above stated, merely for convenience of illustration. v A Itfwill also be understood that 4the ap- ',plication of the invention need not be kdirectly `to the dials or to the face of the dials but may be otherwise arranged, ac c'ording to the relation and grouping of the circuit elements.

' tails being` usually est.; the Y :liet price nf thevset; i

y ble elements.'

a `pliiral'ity of circuit elements, the combination'ofa plurality of variable members and means vv(,:onnectiiig said variable members forl imparting simultaneous movement to'k said variable members, said means being constructed to 'provide lost`motion between theelements for the purpose of permitting invenf individualadjustment of each of said varia- 2. A control forv a plurality ofvariable circuit elementsleom rising .ayplurality of individually adjustab e variable circuit elements, a lost motionconnection between said elements, said lost motion Gonnectionbeing arranged to impart simultaneous movement to said elements while permitting limited individual-adjustnient of each of said elements.` j

3,1n a unit controlsystem for simultaneously adjusting the variable members of a pluralityA of Ivariable circuit elements,

a connection between said elements for imparting simultaneous movement thereto, said connection between the elements being such as to create lost motion of predetermined value permitting limited individual adjust-` ment of the elements, and means for releasing the elements for'unlimited individual adjustment.

4. Ina tuning'system the combination of a central tuning element and corresponding tuning elements ,located on opposite sides thereof, ay rotatable 'shaft/for controlling each of said tuning elements;v.a`p'ulley member located on each of said rotatableI shafts, flexible chain connectors extending between the pulley member on saidv central tuning element andthe pulley members on each of said corresponding tuning elements, said flexible chain connectors being slacked between said pulley members for introducing lost motion' between saidtuning elements for permitting limitedv individual adjustment of any one of said tuning elements, said pulley members von each. of said corresponding tuning elements being arranged to be locked or released from direct rotation with respect to the rotatable shaft thereof whereby' simultaneous or unlimited individual adjustment of any one of said tuning elements may be effected.

. ALFRED HENRY GREBE. 

